(Hamsayeh.Net) - Aviation officials suspect high speed during the landing as the primary cause of Saturdays plane crash in north eastern Iran. The Ilyushin - 62 plane from Tehran to Mashhad crashed and caught on fire while landing at the main airport in Mashhad.

The plane was leased from Kazakhstan and its crew were mainly Kazakh nationals.  16 people mostly its crew were killed as the plane touched the runway with more than normal speed and hit a wall inside the airport premises during landing.

The Aria Airlines had to suspend its activities for further investigation. 'The Aria Airlines suspended its activities until further notice and the unauthorized speed while landing seemed to be one of the reasons for the crash.' Spokesman for Iran's Civil Aviation Reza Jafar Zadeh said.

Managing Director of the Aria Airlines company, Mehdi Dadpey was also among the victims.